Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘It’s important we stay calm’
BOSS Derek McInnes called for calm at Aberdeen following damaging backto-back defeats in Glasgow.
The Dons were lacklustre in their 3-0 defeat to Celtic in the Betfred Cup Final and while, their performance improved against Rangers on Saturday, they left with a 2-1 defeat which l eaves them five points behind the Ibrox club who moved into second place.
But the Granite City club have two games in hand over Rangers, the first of which is against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie tonight.
And although McInnes acknowledged the disappointment among the Red Army, he believes it is time for cool heads.
He said: “It’s been a tough week but i t ’s important we all stay calm. It’s two defeats in Glasgow to Celtic and Rangers and we’re back now at home.
“We’ve not been back at home since October, so it’s good to get back to Pittodrie.
“We’ve now got three home games, which we want to try to maximise.
“If we can win all three home games, and there are no guarantees, then we’ll go back to second in the league.
“We know exactly what the team is capable of and hopefully we can show that starting with t omorrow night.
“Only Celtic have beaten us here this year and we want to continue our strong home form.”
After the Killie game, Aberdeen welcome St Johnstone and then Motherwell before facing Ross County in Dingwall with a trip to Fir Park also scheduled before Christmas.
A home game against Hamilton and a trip t o Tynecastle to face Hearts completes the Dons’ fixture list before the winter break.
McInnes said: “I think the fans have had a tough nine days or so and I get that and feel for them.
“But it is important that we all stick together.”